Page 61 - 2023 Westchester Relocation & Moving Guide

es, financial technology, and clean energy. Each sector has a task force made up of employers, civic organi- zations, and higher-education institu- tions providing guidance, as well as a “desk” at the county that employers can call for information on relocating to Westchester or connecting with resources in the sector. The County also introduced Launch 1000, a program to help workers launch a business or additional income stream, and is also looking into fostering more apprenticeships.
As a result of the emphasis placed on essential industries throughout the pandemic, the skilled trades are gaining in popularity as poten- tial careers in the Hudson Valley, according to The Council of Industry, an association based in Newburgh. Local business groups are working with employers, as well as colleges and vocational schools in the area, to help ensure that there is a pipeline of workers with the right creden- tials to fill these jobs. To introduce young people to jobs that they may not have considered, the Workforce Development Institute, a statewide nonprofit in Albany, star ted piloting a career exploration program focused on general work readiness.
There are also effor ts afoot in the county to encourage young people to consider entering the healthcare field, where local employers are citing high demand for workers. Westchester Community Foundation (WCF), for in- stance, funds a program at Westchester Community College to recruit and train students for an 11-week boot camp for healthcare occupations.
Helping fuel optimism is $175 million the state set aside in for- mer Governor Cuomo’s Workforce Development Initiative in 2019 that will help address some of the chal- lenges the region is facing. The funding was allocated for strategic regional efforts to meet short-term workforce needs, improve talent pipe- lines, enhance the flexibility and adapt- ability of local workforce entities, expand apprenticeships, and address the long- term needs of growing industries.
BUSINESS RESOURCES
EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT
www.esd.ny.gov
845.567.4882 (Mid-Hudson Region office in New Windsor)
WESTCHESTER COUNTY
The Business Council of Westchester
White Plains, 914.948.2110;
www.thebcw.org
Westchester County Office
of Economic Development
White Plains, 914.995.2963; www.business.westchestergov.com
Westchester County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) White Plains, 914.995.2000; www.westchestercatalyst.com
ORANGE COUNTY
Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress
Newburgh, 845.565.4900; www.pattern-for-progress.org
Orange County Chamber of Commerce Montgomery, 845.457.9700; www.orangeny.com
Orange County Partnership
Goshen, 845.294.2323; www.ocpar tnership.org
ROCKLAND COUNTY
Rockland Business Association
Nyack, 845.735.2100; www.rocklandbusiness.org
Rockland Economic
Development Corporation
Pearl River, 845.735.7040; www.redc.org
PUTNAM COUNTY
Putnam County Business Council
Mahopac, 845.228.8595; www.putnamcountybusiness council.org
Putnam County Economic Development Corporation Carmel, 845.808.1021; www.putnamed.org
DUTCHESS COUNTY
Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce Poughkeepsie; 845-454-1700; www.dcrcoc.org
LIVING IN WESTCHESTER AND THE HUDSON VALLEY | RELOCATION & MOVING GUIDE 59
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